Observation of secondary succession at Sandy riverMarmot dam

Name: Ariel Rodrguez To: Shadia Dueri Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Western Rivers Conservancy and Portland General Electric (PGE) decided in 1999 combine their strength and missions to repair and conserve the Sandy River, and sub streams making at long the river an attractive area could be for camping or other recreational instances. The goal of Western Rivers Conservancy is to have a 3500 acres of land where the main basin of Sandy River is at, until now after buying or land donations they have got 2900 acres from which 1500 were donated by PGE after its commitment. (BLM) will take the tile of all this land and put it together which the one that they already own to achieve the amount of 9000 acres of land to converted it on conservation areas and opportunities for recreation at Sandy River. These lands practically have been acquired from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and as mentioned will be under Figure 1 Daily Journal of commerce February 1, 2014 BML administration, which will protect wildlife and create hiking routs as well as its maintenance. The Sandy river is a very special place for many Oregonians, because is the shelter of thousands of living things including towns close to it. The wild Salmon, Lower Columbia Chinook, Coho salmon and steelhead use these turbulent waters for spawning. The tremendous amount of vegetation that I could observe it was just awesome. Where Marmot dam was located now at the side of that portion of the river there are efforts of reforestation, and them have been trying to plant the species which will grow in those soil conditions, because where this area Figure 2 Horizon International sites was before was the buildings close to the Marmot dam. solution Part of the soil at Marmot dam is very compacted, and when the trail start to go down from the main street the trees are very young, and that is because it has been a logging area as well as a gravel extraction place. Many scientists were together for making the decision of the dam removal. Some of them thought that it will be not good for the fish because of the amount of sediment that the destruction will carry, but from 2007 which was the year in which the dam was removed there are not signals of damage from the

sediment. The theory is that Sandy river has always sediment because it basin is at Mt. Hood and is a glacial stream washing sand and other particles. Some of the tree species I could observed were Douglas fir, Western Redceder, and red alder but mostly just conifers about 60 to 100 years old. The conifers are the house for thousands species of lichens and other organisms as ferns. The branches of the trees are very thick, but not of its wood, is because the amount of fruticose lichen on it. Also were present of Old man bird this is a kind of lichen which is an indicator of air pollution, where this guy is, means that the air is pure. It is very clear how secondary succession happen by the men hands. The construction of Marmot dam was almost a century, and the adaptation of the fish and wildlife at this point was amazing, then another disturbance happened with the removal of the dam, and they also adapted to it, and with even more space now they finally are free to swim where one day their parent species did. All changes are not good or bad are just changes with consequences; it will be wise every time we do it for our environment.

Figure 3 Before 2007

Figure 4 After 2007

References:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT. Sandy River Basin Plan History. Available at: http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/salem/plans/sandy_river_history.php Western River Conservancy. Forest Land along Little Sandy River Conserved for Habitat Protection. Available from: http://www.westernrivers.org/images/news/44/Sandy_pr_SandyHalvorsonClosing_5.22. 07.pdf